Integrating Climate Change into Municipal Land Use Planning and Development

The training will provide tools and resources to organize and use climate information to develop climate resilient municipal land use plans. It will enable participants to identify the risks and climate vulnerabilities that need to be considered during the planning process and addressed when designing land use policies and practices and deciding how and where your community will grow. The training will be based on a methodology designed and applied in the Dominican Republic by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and ICF to develop resilient and participatory land use plans. We will also discuss methodologies for engaging vulnerable communities, fostering local capacity and institutionalizing climate resilient land use practices.

This training corresponds to the Vision of the New Urban Agenda to promote cities and human settlements that 'fulfill their territorial functions across administrative boundaries and act as hubs and drivers for balanced, sustainable and integrated urban and territorial development at all levels.' The training will provide tools that will help participants build resilience and responsiveness to natural and human-made hazards and foster mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. The content of the training is in support of SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG 13, Climate Action. Climate change is affecting the health and safety of communities and taking a toll on populations around the world, particularly in island states like the Dominican Republic. This training will enable participants to gain a better understanding of the connections between physical and social vulnerabilities and how climate change may influence local land use patterns and development decisions. In line with the New Urban Agenda and the SDGs, the training will demonstrate that by incorporating climate change considerations from the beginning of the planning process, municipalities can avoid making costly plans and investments that may not withstand future climate conditions.

Training will be provided by representatives from both ICMA and ICF.